Most of their travel expenses are paid for by their Congressional Office Budget, or their Campaign budget. Travel was way down under the first year of Democratic control. It's really hurt a lot of Congressmen because the less they get to be in their district meeting and talking to the people of the district, the more the people get restless with their Rep.
Most of their travel expenses are paid for by their Congressional Office Budget, or their Campaign budget. Travel was way down under the first year of Democratic control. It's really hurt a lot of Congressmen because the less they get to be in their district meeting and talking to the people of the district, the more the people get restless with their Rep.
They do not get free mail. They pay for every single piece of mail that goes out at the standard USPS rates. This comes out of their Congressional Office Budget. You cannot mail personal mail via this method. You cannot mail campaign material via this method. You can only send offical business with the method. You can only mail in your district, to others in the govt, and to DC via this method. There are strict guidelines on what can and cannot be sent, and it is NOT free.
Bingo.
I think that congressman should get a $1 million salary, and are not allowed a penny of outside income. Automatic prison sentence if they accept anything of value. Even lunch.
I don't know why we tolerate such a corrupt system?
bamacre
Lifer
- Jul 1, 2004
- 21,029
- 2
- 81
Dissipate
Diamond Member
- Jan 17, 2004
- 6,815
- 0
- 0
Great idea, make every election literally a lottery! :roll:
Do you have any idea how much a business that makes a $1 million a year is worth? I will give you a hint: a lot more than $1 million. Elections would literally become a rich man's investment scheme. Good god you people have idiotic ideas.
The current formula for Congressmen is identical to any federal employee. So Ron Paul is a douchebag for his statement that it is immoral. Its the same benefits that every federal employee is entitled to. Its one of the few perks of working for the federal govt where on avg you recive 70% of what you would in the private sector.
FERS Retirement is
(avg of your 3 highest yearly salaries x .017 x 20 years)+(avg of your 3 highest yearly salaries x .01 x years over 20)
And yes there are plenty of Federal Employees that make more than Congressmen. Career Civil Servants that can break past GS15 and get to GS16-18, make close to or more than $165200/year.
Governors payscales are on a state by state basis. From $70k to $206k
They also get free housing and transportation via State Troopers. And in the case of the new Texas Governors mansion, thats fricking insane.
All those knocking Congressmens and their pensions, etc.
Look at your top tier public universities. Their Chancellors get $500k+ salaries + mansions while in office. Their Presidents get $300k+ salaries + mansions. They all get extremely lucrative retirement packages from the state.
Hell the Texas Tech University President prior to getting the axe last friday was making close to $400k+housing and has the option to stay at TTU as a tenured faculty member for $210k a year.
Hell it wasnt to long ago the DISD Superintendent was making over $300k/year.
Uh, the federal govt is the federal govt. The state govt is the state govt. One cannot set the other ones salaries as per the US Constitution.
The state govt. pays the gov. The federal govt. pays the reps + senators.
I'd reckon to say the three highest paid civil servents in the state of Texas are the Chancellors for UT, A&M, and TTU.
You wouldn't save that much money, and they're not in it for the salary money...they spend way more than that of their own cash and lose lucrative business positions. No, they do it for the power, and for the money to be made AFTER they leave office.
Agree, except for basic expense accounts. I wouldn't object to a moderate stipend, but paying them like a corporate position is bad news. It only attracts a certain type of person who the world would be much better without.
Government is about idealism and idealists don't care much about cash.
Deeko
Lifer
- Jun 16, 2000
- 30,213
- 12
- 81
Yea the president of my school made a ridiculous salary, something like $760k (he's the 2nd highest paid in the country...so why wasn't my school better, jerk)
I think people are forgetting how much more these people would make in the private sector. They're already taking a huge paycut to hold a public office, even if it's still a lot of money by most of our standards.
Deeko
Lifer
- Jun 16, 2000
- 30,213
- 12
- 81
That's all well and good, but you have to make a living. Do you want your senators to be working another job full time, and managing your country on the side? And if you're only gonna pay them a nominal amount, well, you simply won't attract the most qualified people.
you guys are crazy, you essentially want to restrict public office to even a smaller group of elitists than we already have
"Government is about idealism and idealists don't care much about cash."
you would totally restrict public office to the super rich that don't need jobs and dirty smelly hippie types that are ok living in a cardboard box behind the dumpster at Arby's
and since it takes money to get elected, you would end up with a Plutocracy where only the super rich hold office
"Government is about idealism and idealists don't care much about cash."
you would totally restrict public office to the super rich that don't need jobs and dirty smelly hippie types that are ok living in a cardboard box behind the dumpster at Arby's
and since it takes money to get elected, you would end up with a Plutocracy where only the super rich hold office
QFT.
It completely baffles me that some people think we'd be better off not paying, or barely paying public officials. Already membership in Congress is hugely slanted towards the wealthy, with relatively few members from the middle class. What good could possibly come from essentially forcing out of office everyone from the middle class!?
Does anyone honestly believe that Congressmen/women are in it for the money? That spending tons of time and effort to raise huge campaign sums to merely make about $140k. Probably anyone with the motivation and skill to get elected to national office could make many times that in a business position.
It's ironic though that, to perhaps overgeneralize, many of the people who think Congressmen should not be paid anything see nothing wrong with executives of big businesses being paid hundreds or thousands of times what the average worker at the company is paid.
Siddhartha
Lifer
- Oct 17, 1999
- 12,505
- 3
- 81
The people who run the government have the some of the most important jobs in this country and should get paid to reflect this and thus recruit the best and brightess
Congress: $750,000 plus benefits
Senate: $1,000,000 plus benefits
President: $2,000,000
You get what you pay for.
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